Increasing nonresponse error by reducing nonresponse rates? Investigating the biasing effect of methods and procedures aimed at increasing response rates in Web-based access panel surveys

基于网络的访问小组调查已成为一种有前途的数据收集方法。然而，人们对参加和不参加这种在线调查的人之间的差异了解得还不够。虽然有越来越多的研究机构的策略，以提高响应率，很少有人知道的方式，样本组成可能会受到不同的影响，这些策略。在这个拟议的研究中，我们集中在价值观，人格特质和公民责任取向的差异-变量，经常通过社会学，心理学和政治学的调查研究。我们将在ALLBUS 2008中收集有关这些特征的基线数据。可上网的受访者将被邀请参加由SPP协调员操作的网上访问小组，并参加随后的两次在线调查。在第一个中，我们将尝试四种版本的预先通知（通过邮寄、短信、电子邮件或无）和三种版本的反馈（面向自我、面向他人或无）。在第二次在线调查中，我们将联合收割机的四个预先通知条件与五个版本的激励措施（立即反馈的抽奖，预付奖励，承诺奖励，捐赠给慈善机构的选择，或没有）。我们期望这些策略对不同特征的受访者产生不同的效果，这些结果将有助于研究人员使用在线调查来识别可能鼓励（或阻止）具有特定特征和价值观的受访者的策略组合，从而使调查估计产生偏差。

Web-based access panel surveys have emerged as a promising data collection methodology. However, not enough is known about differences between people who do and who do not participate in such online surveys. While there is a growing body of research on strategies for increasing response rates, little is known about the ways in which sample composition may be differentially affected by those strategies.In this proposed research, we focus on differences in values, personality traits, and civic duty orientation - variables that are frequently studied through surveys in sociology, psychology, and political sciences. We will collect baseline data about these characteristics within the ALLBUS 2008. The respondents who have Internet access will be invited to join a Web-based access panel to be operated by the SPP coordinator(s) and to participate in two subsequent online surveys. In the first one, we will experiment with four versions of prenotification (by postal mail, SMS, email, or none) and three versions of feedback (self-oriented, other-oriented, or none). In the second online survey, we will combine the four prenotification conditions with five versions of incentives (lottery with immediate feedback, prepaid incentives, promised incentives, donation to charity of choice, or none). We expect differential effects of these strategies on the respondents with different characteristics.The results will help researchers using online surveys to recognize the combinations of strategies for increasing response rates that may encourage (or discourage) respondents with particular traits and values, thus biasing survey estimates.